Collaboration aims to increase awareness and use of PulsePoint and expand the role of fire and emergency services in emerging digital trends.

Fairfax, VA (July 17, 2017) — The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the PulsePoint Foundation (PulsePoint) today announced a strategic partnership to reinforce the use of mobile phones and apps to connect nearby CPR-trained citizens and off-duty professional rescuers with people in cardiac arrest. The collaboration also endeavors to develop strategies for utilizing public safety data in new and innovative ways. The alliance will be highlighted at Fire-Rescue International, the annual conference and expo of the IAFC being held in Charlotte, NC, July 26-29, 2017.

The PulsePoint app connects directly to local emergency communication centers. When an incident requiring CPR and an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is reported, nearby citizens and off-duty responders who carry the app receive a notification of the emergency simultaneously with traditional first responders. PulsePoint reduces collapse-to-CPR times by increasing awareness of cardiac arrest events beyond a traditional “witnessed” area. The system also aims to reduce collapse-to-defibrillation times through augmented awareness of AED locations.

“As a past fire chief and longtime member of the IAFC, I’m very familiar with the leadership this organization provides the industry,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “PulsePoint is using mobile technology to save lives and is pioneering uses of public safety data that until recently were unimaginable. This partnership will explore future data uses and develop strategies to help make public safety agencies more effective and impactful in their communities.”

Each year, approximately 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital setting in the United States. Nearly 90 percent of these events prove fatal, and the chance of survival decreases by ten percent with every passing minute without CPR.

Chief John Sinclair

“The IAFC considers the deployment of PulsePoint to be a best practice in fire and EMS and we look forward to helping our member agencies implement the technology. Recognizing the excruciatingly short window of opportunity to intervene during cardiac arrest, we need to reinforce the importance of improving the utilization of CPR-trained community members and off-duty personnel,” said John Sinclair, President of the IAFC and Fire Chief of Kittitas Valley (Wash.) Fire and Rescue.

Chief Tom Jenkins

Thomas Jenkins, IAFC First Vice President and Fire Chief of Rogers (Ark.) Fire Department emphasized the importance of PulsePoint to his community: “In Rogers, we have seen PulsePoint bring together the best of citizenship, technology, and medical care to save lives from cardiac arrest.”

Chief Billy Goldfeder

“In addition to its flagship capability of summoning CPR assistance, the PulsePoint app displays other emergency activity occurring in the community. For on duty crews this can significantly improve situational awareness and confirm the real-time communication center connection to the public,” said Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder, International Director of the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section. “This makes the app much more interesting and engaging for citizens and off-duty personnel—ultimately increasing the size of the network available for cardiac arrest response.”

Chief Mike Duyck

As part of the IAFC collaboration, PulsePoint has also partnered with the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) to increase awareness of the application and its lifesaving benefits. According to Mike Duyck, WFCA Director and Fire Chief of Tualatin Valley (Ore.) Fire & Rescue, “TVF&R was the first fire department in Oregon to launch the PulsePoint app for citizen responders and over the past four years we have witnessed firsthand its ability to save lives. We are now the first agency to pilot the professional version of the app, Verified Responder, which based on results to date, may mark the beginning of a national initiative with the help of the IAFC. Having lost my own father from sudden cardiac arrest, I am personally and professionally committed to sparing other families from potential heartbreak.”

About the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
The IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world’s leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest products and services available to first responders.

About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and off-duty personnel, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

Click on the AED clusters to reveal the underlying devices. Click on the individual AED icons to display additional attributes, including photos if available. Only approved AEDs are displayed with this resource (pending AEDs are not shown).

Sioux Falls, South Dakota (June 8, 2017): Sioux Falls will be the second site in the United States selected for a pilot program to utilize off-duty professional firefighters in response to cardiac arrest calls in public and private settings.

The Verified Responder Pilot Program is being launched in Sioux Falls through a partnership of the PulsePoint Foundation, Sioux Falls Fire Rescue, International Association of Firefighters Local 814, and automated external defibrillator (AED) manufacturer Philips. The first pilot site for the Verified Responder program was implemented earlier this year with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in Oregon.

More than 350,000 Americans each year have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) where the heart stops beating, and only 12 percent survive, according to the American Heart Association. The chance of survival decreases by ten percent with every passing minute without CPR.

“Although survival rates in the Sioux Falls area are above the national average, our community continues to strive to increase a person’s chance of survival during a sudden cardiac event,” says Brad Goodroad, Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Chief. “We know that survival relies on early CPR and early defibrillation.”

The community has already been using PulsePoint Respond, a software application designed to support public safety agencies in improving cardiac arrest survival rates by notifying CPR-trained volunteers if someone nearby in a public location is having a cardiac emergency. Since its introduction five years ago, the PulsePoint application has saved numerous lives in the United States when cardiac arrest happened in public places. However, there were no programs in the United States with the ability to respond to a home or private location prior to or along with emergency responders, and the Verified Responder program allows us to close that gap.

The Verified Responder Pilot Program utilizes the PulsePoint application. In addition, Philips Healthcare has provided AEDs to participating firefighters who can then respond to cardiac emergencies. Participating professional firefighters are certified emergency medical technicians or paramedics who receive background checks as part of employment with Sioux Falls Fire Rescue.

The effort will gather important data from the Sioux Falls pilot for future lifesaving strategies and products. During the pilot, King County Emergency Medical Services in Washington State will assist with programmatic evaluation for potential expansion to additional communities.

“We were proud to introduce PulsePoint to Sioux Falls several years ago,” says Goodroad, “and we are honored to be the second site in the country selected for the Verified Responder program. Sudden cardiac arrest strikes without warning, and our team is dedicated to improving survival rates in our community.”

PulsePoint Respond has successfully multiplied rescuer response to cardiac arrest, located nearby AED’s and amplified resources in a community to improve sudden cardiac arrest survival.

OVERLAND PARK, KS (June 5, 2017)— It is with a shared vision, to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest by stimulating effective community, professional and citizen action, that the PulsePoint Foundation and the Citizen CPR Foundation join forces to bring a first-of-its-kind grant competition to the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update (ECCU) Conference in New Orleans, December 5-8, 2017.

The grant includes a complete PulsePoint Respond implementation, including first year costs (valued at over $20,000), to be awarded to a community that demonstrates commitment to improving care and outcomes consistent with the mission of the Citizen CPR Foundation. The award-winning PulsePoint mobile app, now in more than 2,200 communities nationwide, alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid, and informs responders and emergency dispatchers of nearby Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

“We support and admire the work of the Citizen CPR Foundation and their unwavering commitment to strengthen the critical early links in the Chain of Survival,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “Although our approaches are distinct, we share the strategy of improving cardiac arrest outcomes through strong community involvement.”

Interested communities and representatives are encouraged to learn more and submit an entry at www.pulsepoint.org/eccu. Three finalist communities will be selected in advance of the ECCU Conference and invited to present their entries during the plenary session at ECCU 2017 entitled: Innovation and Resuscitation – Leveraging Digital Strategies to Improve Survival Rates from SCA. Judges will interact with the finalists on stage to review the merits of their entries and ultimately will present the award to the community that scores highest. This is an extraordinary opportunity for public safety agencies to acquire the latest technology to improve cardiac arrest outcomes with a minimal initial investment.

“We support leading practices and collaborations that improve outcomes for cardiac arrest victims,” said Dr. Vinay Nadkarni, President of the Citizen CPR Foundation. “PulsePoint is a modern and novel solution to increase bystander CPR and AED use. We are very excited to be in partnership with an organization so closely aligned with our values.”

About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

About the Citizen CPR Foundation
The Citizen CPR Foundation (CCPRF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest by stimulating effective community, professional and citizen action. The core values for the Citizen CPR Foundation are that CPR saves lives; that Collaboration among citizens, professionals, communities, and organizations is key to survival from sudden cardiac arrest; and that action based on best practices in science, education, and implementation, improves outcomes. CCPRF serves as the home and planning host for the Emergency Cardiovascular Care Update (ECCU) conference held every 2 years. Learn more at citizencpr.org.

ECCU 2017
The Emergency Cardiovascular Update Conference (ECCU) is the only conference of its kind tailored to meet the educational needs of CPR Instructors and training agencies, paramedics, EMTs, nurses, physicians, researchers, managers, cardiac arrest survivors, and community champions.
It provides a dynamic forum for exchange of information, ideas, innovations, developments, and trends aimed at advancing the implementation of citizen CPR and ECC training. ECCU 2017 is taking place in New Orleans, December 5-8, 2017. The conference is presented by the Citizen CPR Foundation with its founding partners the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. Learn more at eccu2017.com.

Global Leader of Human Capital Brings People Strategy and International Perspective as new Member of the PulsePoint Foundation Board of Directors

PLEASANTON, CA (May 11, 2017)—The PulsePoint Foundation, a pioneer of location-aware mobile apps that empower off-duty professionals and everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of cardiac arrest, today announced that Eva Andres, global leader in human capital, has joined the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Ms. Andres is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Virtustream and previously a vice president of human resources for Dell/EMC. She is an international leader in human resources, scaling businesses in the Americas, Europe and APJ. She has a strategic focus and operational perspective, having led M&A’s, talent management, and organizational design.

“Ms. Andres brings a wealth of proven business and technology leadership experience,” said Matt Stamey, Board Chairman of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “Her experience in attracting world-class talent and building high caliber teams is truly valued by our board.”

Passionate about creating global collaboration environments, Ms. Andres actively participates as a speaker and evangelist at high tech and women-focused events. Eva was recognized as “one of the most influential women in technology” and championed EMC to the top rankings of the “Best Places to Work” in the Bay Area. She earned her degree in organizational psychology from the University of Barcelona.

“I am honored to serve on the PulsePoint Foundation Board, working with such an innovative and respected organization dedicated to saving lives,” Andres said. “I look forward to working with the PulsePoint Board and management team to execute their compelling vision.”

About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

Michael Sayre, M.D., Emergency Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Joins PulsePoint Leadership Team

HILTON HEAD, SC (April 28, 2017)—The PulsePoint Foundation, a pioneer of location-aware mobile apps that empower off-duty professionals and everyday citizens to provide life‐saving assistance to victims of cardiac arrest, today announced Michael Sayre, M.D. has been named its first Medical Director, responsible for medical guidance, oversight and continuous quality improvement for the Foundation. The announcement was made at the South Carolina Resuscitation Academy, a regional program for EMS managers, EMS directors and EMS medical directors, and conducted in association with Seattle Medic One and King County EMS.

“With Dr. Sayre’s appointment, we put the Foundation in a stronger position to evaluate partnership opportunities in areas such as wearables, contemplate new time-critical incident type responses such as opiate overdoses, and more thoroughly understand clinical research results and how they might signal future engineering directions,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “His passion and expertise for implementing and testing novel emergency medical interventions will help us move through our next phase of development in a more focused and targeted manner.”

In addition to practicing emergency medicine at Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Dr. Sayre has worked to ensure that the emergency medical services in Seattle and King County continue to excel. He also serves as the medical director for the Seattle Fire Department and is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Heart Association. He is a past chair for the American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee.

“I look forward to assisting the PulsePoint Foundation in evaluating new technologies, partnerships and approaches to unlock the potential of their rapidly growing platform and significance in the industry,” said Dr. Michael Sayre. “I’m delighted to join such a committed and passionate group of individuals who are using mobile technology in new and innovative ways to improve outcomes for extremely time-sensitive medical conditions.”

Dr. Sayre earned his bachelor’s degree from Xavier University and his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati. He completed his residency in emergency medicine at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. After two decades as a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati and the Ohio State University, he moved to the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2012 to create the Emergency Medical Services Fellowship training program.

About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

NEW ORLEANS (April 12, 2017)—Priority Dispatch Corp. (“PDC”) and the PulsePoint Foundation (“PulsePoint”) today announced a global, strategic partnership that will optimize the way Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) pinpoint and communicate the location of automated external defibrillators (AED) during time-critical cardiac emergencies. Through this partnership, the organizations unveiled integration plans that allow EMDs to inform callers of the exact location of nearby AEDs directly within existing medical dispatch protocols and with no changes to workflow. The announcement was made at Navigator, the annual premier conference for police, fire, medical and nurse triage dispatch, hosted by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED.)

“With this new integration, the dispatcher may no longer need to ask if there is an AED available when a caller reports an unconscious, unresponsive victim,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. “The EMD will now be shown a distance-ordered list of all nearby devices directly from the PulsePoint global registry.”

Each year in the U.S., there are approximately 360,000 Emergency Medical Services (EMS)-assessed cardiac arrests outside of a hospital and on average, less than 10 percent of victims survive. Communities with comprehensive AED programs that include CPR and AED training for rescuers have achieved survival rates of nearly 40 percent for cardiac arrest victims.

“Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when applied early in cardiac arrest can more than double survival,” said Bryan McNally, MD, Executive Director of the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) Program. “Although less than 12 percent of cardiac arrests that occur in public receive bystander AED treatment more than 33 percent of these patients survive. Routinely making lay responders more aware of public AEDs has the potential to save thousands of lives each year nationally.”

Although AED availability in public places is increasing, their use remains negligible. Low utilization has been attributed partly to citizen rescuers being unfamiliar with the devices and unaware of their location. Unfortunately, most EMDs don’t have access to AED installations and are unable to tell a caller where the nearest one might be.

“The routine use of AEDs is predicated on both the EMD and the caller’s ability to locate and retrieve the device promptly for immediate use at the patient’s side,” said Jeff Clawson, MD, inventor of the Priority Dispatch System and co-founder of the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch. “This is greatly enhanced by the smooth collaboration of both the medical priority dispatch system, MPDS, when used in ProQA and PulsePoints’ enhanced AED registry and responder program. This will undoubtedly improve SCA survival significantly for the better.”

About Priority Dispatch Corporation
Priority Dispatch Corp.™ (PDC) is the world leader in providing research-based protocol solutions to emergency call centers in medical, fire, police, and nurse triage disciplines. For more than 35 years, EMS and 911 agencies have used the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), first with cards and now in software. It has been translated into 21 languages and dialects and is currently in place in 46 countries. Find more information at prioritydispatch.net.

About International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED)
The IAED is a non-profit standard-setting organization promoting safe and effective emergency dispatch services world-wide. With more than 65,000 members, It is comprised of four allied Academies for medical, fire, police, and nurse triage dispatching. The IAED supports best practices through education, training, quality assurance, certification, accreditation, and research. It’s annual conference, Navigator, attracts more than 1,200 dispatchers, educators, and leaders from around the world. Learn more at: emergencydispatch.org.

About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Learn more at pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, nearly 360,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. Survival rates nationally for SCA are nearly eight percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain. However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. The average EMS response time is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

Coral Springs – Today, the Coral Springs Fire Department joined the PulsePoint Foundation and CTIA Wireless Foundation to extend life-saving technology in Broward County via the PulsePoint Respond app. The event was held at Fire Station 80 and was highlighted by messages from Mayor Skip Campbell, Fire Chief Frank Babinec and CTIA Wireless Foundation Executive Director Athena Polydorou. The speakers detailed the benefits of the mobile app, which alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid.

The app also notifies users of the closest available Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Early application of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest. PulsePoint is not limited to emergency responders or those with official CPR certification, as it can be used by anyone who has been trained in CPR.

“Bringing PulsePoint and the AED registry to the region significantly strengthens the Chain of Survival in our community,” said Babinec. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, locate AEDs in the area, and perform potentially lifesaving CPR while our personnel respond to the scene.” Throughout the year, the Coral Springs Fire Department responds to nearly 15,000 incidents, including more than 100 cardiac arrest events.

“By directly alerting those who are qualified and nearby, possibly in the business next door or on the floor above, PulsePoint is able to put the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation. The latest AHA guidelines, published in Circulation, state that such community programs could increase bystander CPR to the roughly 326,000 cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital each year.

“The project expands PulsePoint coverage to the 155,850 residents of the City of Coral Springs and the City of Parkland over an area of nearly 37 square miles,” said Babinec. “The local system will also be supported by large numbers of existing PulsePoint users already living and traveling within Broward County.”

“Advancements in mobile technology such as location awareness, high-speed networks and apps that tap into a community’s open data are enabling individuals to connect directly with local governments and public safety organizations. This enhances quality of life for all citizens, and in the case of PulsePoint, actually empowers the community to help save lives,” said Polydorou. “On behalf of CTIA Wireless Foundation, I congratulate Coral Springs Fire Chief Frank Babinec and his team for embracing wireless technology to improve Sudden Cardiac Arrest outcomes. We are proud to sponsor this launch so that this life-saving app could be deployed at no cost to residents of Coral Springs and Parkland.”

The free PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and Google Play.

HONOLULU, February 22, 2017 – Today, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department (HONEMS) joined the PulsePoint Foundation and CTIA Wireless Foundation to bring life-saving technology to Oahu via the PulsePoint Respond app. The event was held at the Nu’uanu YMCA in Honolulu and was highlighted by messages from Senator Mazie Hirono, Honolulu City and County Managing Director Roy Amemiya, Honolulu EMS Chief Dean Nakano and CTIA Wireless Foundation Executive Director Athena Polydorou. The speakers detailed the benefits of the mobile app, which alerts CPR-trained citizens of cardiac events in their vicinity so they may administer aid.

The app also notifies users of the closest available Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Early application of bystander CPR and rapid defibrillation from an AED have proven to be crucial in improving a person’s chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). PulsePoint is not limited to emergency responders or those with official CPR certification, as it can be used by anyone who has been trained in CPR.

“We are proud to be the first agency in Hawaii to implement PulsePoint,” said Nakano. “It gives our residents and visitors the ability to know when a cardiac arrest is occurring close by, to respond quickly and to attempt potentially lifesaving CPR while our paramedics respond to the scene.”

The PulsePoint app also provides users with an active display of all local AEDs. On average, Honolulu EMS responds to 250 daily calls for service; including more than 700 cardiac arrest events annually.

“By directly alerting those who are qualified and nearby, possibly in the business next door or on the floor above, PulsePoint is able to put the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Richard Price, President of the California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit PulsePoint Foundation.

The latest AHA guidelines, published in Circulation, state that such community programs could increase bystander CPR to the roughly 326,000 cardiac arrests that happen outside the hospital each year.

“The project expands PulsePoint coverage to the City and County of Honolulu and the 950,000 Oahu residents over an area of 597 square miles,” said Nakano.

“Mobile technology has transitioned from a luxury to a necessity, and the PulsePoint app exemplifies how wireless can help save lives,” said Polydorou. “By implementing this and other vital Smart City technology, Honolulu is making its residents safer and more connected. CTIA Wireless Foundation applauds those efforts and is proud to sponsor the deployment of PulsePoint, bringing this life-saving service to the people of Honolulu at no cost to Honolulu EMS.”

The free PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and Google Play.

About Honolulu EMS
The mission of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services is to provide quality emergency medical care to residents and visitors of Oahu, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our philosophy is “‘O Ka Mea Ma’i Ka Mua” or “The person sick is first.” The EMS division is led by Chief Dean Nakano employed with 140 paramedics and 108 emergency medical technicians who serve the City and County of Honolulu. The island is divided into three divisions which include 20 EMS stations. Each year EMS responds to over 90,000 calls and transports over 60,000 patients.

About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through the use of location-aware mobile devices, PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens, empowering them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the “chain of survival” by improving bystander response to cardiac arrest victims and increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS). PulsePoint is built and maintained by volunteer engineers at Workday and distributed by our marketing and implementation partner Physio-Control, Inc. CTIA Wireless Foundation is a key sponsor and advocate of PulsePoint, providing industry and financial support. Learn more at www.pulsepoint.org or join the conversation at Facebook and Twitter. The free app is available for download on iTunes and Google Play. (we will include links)

About CTIA Wireless Foundation
CTIA Wireless Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to developing and supporting initiatives that use wireless technology to enhance American communities. Its innovative programs leverage mobile technology to provide consumer benefits in two key areas: health and safety. The Foundation was formed by CTIA® member companies in 1991. Learn more at www.wirelessfoundation.org.

About Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Although a heart attack can lead to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the two are not the same. SCA is when the heart malfunctions and suddenly stops beating unexpectedly, whereas a heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is blocked, but the heart continues to beat. Each year, more than 420,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur, making it the leading cause of death in the United States. Survival rates nationally for SCA are less than eight percent, but delivery of CPR can sustain life until paramedics arrive by maintaining vital blood flow to the heart and brain. However, only about a third of SCA victims receive bystander CPR. Without CPR, brain damage or death can occur in minutes. The average EMS response time is nine minutes, even in urban settings; after 10 minutes there is little chance of successful resuscitation. The American Heart Association estimates that effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after SCA, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.